Doctors’ strike: 21-day ultimatum contravenes agreement —FG
…as NMA backs striking medical workers
By Uthman Salami
Following the tussle with medical professionals in the Country, the Federal government said that the 21-day ultimatum issued by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) contravened the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on August 21, 2021.
The contention was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, signed by its Spokesperson, Mr. Charles Akpan.
The statement revealed that the Federal government was duly complying with its own part of the agreement, with effective monitoring by the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment.
The Ministry lamented that NMA has not yet implemented any of its responsibilities as contained in the MoU, assigned to it in the agreement.
Earlier, NMA had issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to settle all issues relating to the industrial actions currently embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, and other affiliate members.
A statement jointly signed by the president and secretary of the Association, Professor A.O Ujah and Dr. Philips Uche Ekpe respectively, read: “After due consideration, NEC put the Federal Government on a 21 days’ notice to fully resolve all the issues contained in the various agreements signed with Affiliate members of the Nigerian Medical Association (including MDCAN, MEDSABAMS, and NARD).”
According to the doctors, if the Federal Government failed to implement the agreements after the expiration of the 21-day notice, the NMA would summon an emergency delegate meeting.
The statement read: “In the event that the FG fails to implement the agreements after the expiration of the 21-days’ notice, NMA shall summon an emergency delegate meeting to review the progress made on the implementation of the agreements.
“The Nigerian Medical Association fully supports all her affiliates in their efforts to improve the healthcare delivery in Nigeria and the welfare of her members.
“NEC affirms that no doctor shall be victimized for participating/not participating in the strike action by NARD.”
But reacting to the threat in a statement titled, ‘Labour ministry to NMA: Your 21-day ultimatum in collision with our MoU,’ the government argued that the NMA’s position was at variance with the timeline stated in the Memorandum of Agreement.
The statement argued, “First is that the NMA communique in Benin which issued a 21-day ultimatum is at variance with the timeline in article II, VI, VII and X of the MOA.
“Importantly, article II on payment of the outstanding hazard allowance from the 2020 Medical Residency Training Fund states that the fund will be paid after verification and reconciliation of figures from the BOF. Till now, Both NARD/Postgraduate Medical College are yet to submit the validated application for the eligible doctors missed out in 2020 to enable this payment.
“Article VII on withdrawal of the circular from the Office of the Head of Service removing House and NYSC Doctors from the scheme of service says ‘the NMA should submit her position immediately to the FMOH PS for onward transmission to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation with a view to processing and issuance of clarification circular within two months.’ The NMA is yet to comply with this.”
It would be recalled that penultimate Sunday, August 22, a stakeholders’ meeting had held at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, who had directed the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to ensure all the contentious issues that led to the recent strike by Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) were resolved.
However, the leadership of NARD had declared they declined to append their signature on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) presented at the instance of the Government.
Following the Sunday meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, had disclosed that the Federal Government will commence the implementation of its MoU with the NMA last Monday.
Ngige had claimed they had reached agreements the previous night on all the 12 disputed issues.
According to him, an agreement was reached on the Residency Training Fund outstanding for 2020 and 2021 after the Budget Office had explained that N617.4million was outstanding to be paid in 2020.
Ngige who said that the meeting agreed that by Friday, August 27, resident Doctors in institutions would have started getting their money, with each receiving about N542, 000, gave further details that: “There are reconciliations to be done here because 2020 was done with some errors. Some people who are not supposed to benefit from the fund got money and because of that, the number of genuine people that were not paid also came to that quantum of persons.
“So, reconciliation is being done and some monies are being returned. We have given a timeline for this reconciliation to be done.
“And for 2021, the money approved by Government is N4.802 billion. This money, like I said earlier, was contained in the 2021 Supplementary Budget, which the President signed on the eve of his departure to the UK for the meeting and medical check-up.
“So, between that time and now, it became a money law. The funds have now been sourced and it has gotten from the CBN to the Budget Office where we expect it to be processed in one week as undertaken by the Government side.”
Among other resolutions, Ngige had stated further that the NMA has been directed to submit a written position on the controversial withdrawing of NYSC doctors and house officers from the scheme of service to point out the anomaly in the circular, for onward transmission to the Head of Service of the Federation, who will look at the inputs given by NMA to the circular and process it to either the Council of Establishment or handle it administratively, if the issues are not such of fundamental nature to further clarify it, adding that a two-month timeline has been set for this.
